Why I Oppose US politician’s “New Cold War” Rhetoric
Turn on cable news in America and you’re sure to hear politicians talk about the importance of countering China or Russia, portraying them in a disproportionately negative light and highlighting the importance of “Great Power competition.”
In some ways it makes sense: these are three of only five countries sitting on the UN Security Council (something I personally see as inherently problematic in-and-of-itself), and like any country, they don’t have a perfect human rights record. Nobody and no country is above criticism.
That said, isn’t it ironic to criticize these countries and portray the United States as the greatest country on earth as we are the world’s largest imperialist power, with more military bases around the world than anybody else, and a history of wars in the Middle East? I mean we’re literally not signed on to an optional convention against torture — and the US has certainly committed torture in recent history. During the BLM protests in 2020, US police used tear gas — something banned during war by the Geneva Protocol of 1925 — against its own people demanding justice for victims of police brutality.
I would know. I experienced it firsthand numerous times protesting in-solidarity with BLM in DC.
The above facts are particularly relevant when you consider the recent UN vote on condemning the glorification of Nazism — something only the United States and Ukraine voted against, with the rest of Europe, Canada, and Australia abstaining. As someone who grew up Jewish and faced plenty of anti-semitic abuse growing up, from people “jokingly” drawing swastikas in front of me or calling me “sand n****r” because I have family from Israel/Morocco, this issue is extremely personal to me. Even in Elementary School, people would mock me for being “a Jew” instead of Christian. For a long time, this abuse traumatized me and caused me to hide my heritage for fear of being harassed. It never made sense to me how anybody could find abusing people like that funny — or how they could blatantly lack empathy when I made it clear how hurtful it was.
Considering racial disparities in America’s arrest rates, economic inequality, and its world largest incarceration rate among industrialized nations, the issue of white supremacy in America is definitely deserving of scrutiny. After all, we recently had a President who referred to immigrants as sub-human animals. If these experiences aren’t the kind of glorified Nazism that needs to be condemned by America and Europe at the UN, in-solidarity with the rest of the world, I don’t know what is.
None of this is intended to demonize or generalize all of the people who live in the US. Many don’t feel represented by our own government, as demonstrated by the fact that an overwhelming majority think the country is on the wrong track.
The point in raising this opposition to New Cold War politics when it comes to international relations is that ultimately, it makes everyone less safe. When politicians portray other countries in a disproportionately negative way while self-aggrandizing our own country with hyper-patriotism, it has the potential to create xenophobic stereotypes about people living abroad and heightens the risk of conflict. It already does have a harmful impact on immigrants living here — as demonstrated by situations like Trump saying “Send Her Back” to Ilhan Omar, among his other anti-immigrant beliefs. It’s no surprise that hate crimes rose during his presidency.
It makes sense for countries to criticize each other in an attempt to speak up for those suffering from human rights abuses and who are unable to speak up publicly for themselves in their own country, but if that’s the primary way countries interact publicly, is that really helpful? Wouldn’t it be a better approach to build comraderie between people to break down historical divisions and foster world peace? Shouldn’t Americans feel safe using their free speech to disagree with US foreign policy without fear of being a disloyal traitor to the country? After all, there are prominent politicians who call for defunding the Pentagon to fund community care instead. Using free speech to criticize the US for not condemning the glorification of Nazism is in no way the same as using it to dehumanize and mistreat people as politicians like Trump do.
At the end of the day, building up a bigger military year-after-year and antagonizing other countries for human rights abuses our own country commits isn’t the best approach to fostering world peace. It gives more money to the military-industrial-complex while tens of millions of Americans live in or near poverty. Wouldn’t that money be better spent helping the poor and working-class and opposing racism, both here and around the world? Wouldn’t it be better to foster a healthier international dialogue and mutual disarmament to make that peaceful future more likely?
Call me an idealist, but I see nothing wrong with existing outside of a militaristic-hyper-nationalist racist status quo that pits people against each other and instead prioritizing our common humanity, regardless of which country we were born in.
“Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world… You…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one”
❤
